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the local reporters that cover Cougar athletics.
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We're gonna get a live update halftime update from Ronald
the three Man Weaver, one of our ESPN the Fan
crew here momentarily. The segment's going to be brought to
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Welcome in, Ronald the three Man. We were live for
the Delta Center. Roddy, how was the first half?
Speaker 1: Look? I mean, Wisconsin might need some help, Ben, They're
gonna have to get in the game. Not too well
for the Badges right now, But I think that's what
Cougar fans want to hear.
Speaker 2: This Wisconsin team did not play all that well in
the first half. I believe they were three of sixteen
from the three point line. Do you think they improved?
Were they getting good enough shots? They were just missing those?
Speaker 1: No, it's Yu's defense, Ben, that's what the perimeter defense
is a lock. Look, we heard the media availability from
Kevin Young earlier, or Wisconsin likes to run the pick
and pop a little slash at the basket. We heard
from Blant Butch yesterday BYU shutting all of that down,
blitzing over every screen. Everybody's playing defense, even down to
rob right right now, the perimeter defense is locking Wisconsin up.
And look, whether they're getting a good look or it's
a forced look that's not going down. They really have it.
Aj debons to look, you wanted to know who was
gonna guard John Blackwell, it's Aj Debonca He's literally taking
this guy out of the game in the first half shooting.
Look what two of seven? I mean, that's your best
player who averages just about nineteen and a half points
per game, and he's two of seven from the field
and one of four from three. AJ's had his number
the whole day so far.
Speaker 2: As far as the offensive productivity and efficiency is concerned
on BYU side of the ball, what stood out to.
Speaker 1: You points in the paint, Ben, They've been able to
get dominant and get downhill twenty two points in the
paint to Wisconsin's fourteen so far, and it is Aj Ben.
I think it was four straight possessions that AJ went
to is not in for excuse me three, he went
to the free throw line. Guys just on Wisconsin can't
guard him. And when he gets to that little mid
range NBA style Kevin Durant s pull up in the paint.
I mean, you have to give it to him. Either
you foul him or you let him hit the shots.
So right now, that's been the big difference. And Rob
Wright's not sellling. Ben. Look, we heard from Brian but yesterday,
who's one of the radio analysts of the Wisconsin Badglers.
He said Rob Right is the X factor, and he's
been the X factor. Ben. I mean, when you look
at Rob Right's statue, he's got five points along with
four rebounds and then five assists. Five of the seven
b YU assists have come from rober Wright. So obviously
Kevin Young and the coaching staff has done a good
job to let rober Wright know, get downhill when they collapse,
go create a shot, and he's done that so far.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's uh, it's tremendous to watch this bau minsed
basketball team bounce back and and play really good basketball
after experiencing some adversity. How pivotal has the Kebe Cada Uh,
I guess play Ben? He he got the start, I
mean he had, he'd gone out early in that Yukon game.
Speaker 3: How good is Kaba beIN?
Speaker 1: Oh man, he's been massive, been so far just as presence. Look,
a lot of stuff doesn't always show up on the statue. Look,
kid's got two points, he's got four rebounds, you know,
and he's got one block. And I mean that's the difference. Right.
A guy like that makes Wisconsin thinks about when they
drive downhill, do we really want this problem? Do we
want to deal with number thirteen? Then when I saw
warming up, you know, I was surprised. I was like, Oh,
it's Caba gonna play, And then heard from the pregame
radio broadcast that Kevin young Get said he would play.
He was day to day with the concussion. He was
in high spirits. He just wasn't clear for the concussion.
But he was smiling, he was giggity, he was bumping
with his teammates, with John lennehand with Chris Burgess. He
was excited already out there, and his energy and his
presence has been a match. But it's not just the
presence of Caba been everybody's been wanting to know about
Kadem Boup and this kid man. He's come in and
he's made a difference. Like his defense is super underrated,
Like he's been switching on everybody one through five and
he had a couple of fouls. Gotta work with that.
But I mean, right now, the minute that Cable's gotten
he's only played eleven. Kadem's backed him up right there
with just about nine. I like what the big man
had been doing for BYU today so far.
Speaker 2: Will you remember when we were chatting after the UCF
game last year when I was out Orlando. You know,
there were multiple scouts there and they were all looking
at at I mean they were obviously looking at a
number of players, Jegory and then the uc There was
two or three UCF players, but they kept out.
Speaker 3: They brought up Kadeeb, they brought up canea.
Speaker 2: Hey, we want to get is on cadieb So the
clay is good there that it's just how quickly can
he develop and gain confidence in order to make an impact.
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, I mean the clay is there. You see
how you can switch one through five, how he can
move his feet, he can rebound at a high level.
He's getting tit backs and he's fighting for these fifty
fifty balls. That's what's also been successful. He's in the
mix of every fifty fifty fifty ball. I don't care
if I'm a coach and he's picking up a foul
to two. If you're jumping for every rebound, going for
every steal, diving for every ball, that's what gets you
in the game, that's what keeps you on the court,
and that's what coaches want. So yeah, still, we're all
still got to have a lot of more development. But
to me, right now, I think the team's gonna see
a lot more time in the second half when it
sucks in a few minutes.
Speaker 2: Do you feel like Wisconsin? I mean, they're still hunking
up a lot of threes here. You mentioned that the defense,
the Preimer defense has been on point.
Speaker 3: Do you think they have a few.
Speaker 2: Shots drop this second half and they stay in this game,
or do you think bo breaks it open.
Speaker 1: I think Bo is gonna break it open. I don't
think Wisconsin with the way they're playing been and Ba's
perimeter defense, I just don't see in the world they
would have to really shoot lights side and Look, BYU
wants to run and transition, and they're doing that really
well well when Wisconsin has these long misses been and
Bou is able to push or when they slowed the
ball down and give it to Ah and he runs
the point forward and they're getting them in foul trouble
now like Wisconsin. You know, Ben, they have twelve ten
fouls excuse me in the first half, like an Aj
has drawn like five of them. Like that's that's what's
gonna hurt you, is even if you his shots. When
BAU wants to go to number three, when they want
to go to that number one recruit, it's really difficult
to be at a bounce back. So Wisconsin is it's
possible they were within striking range. You're only down twelve.
But I think BYU is going to break this open eventually.
Speaker 2: Ronald the three man, we were lying from the delta
and are discussing the BYU basketball game that's occurring right now.
I think they're gonna be starting up again here momentarily
there at halftime, but thus far this half, I mean,
I was also really impressed with Rob right at fifteen.
Speaker 3: Minutes play, he only had five points, but he had.
Speaker 2: Four assists, sorry, five assists and four rebounds. He's really
coming into his own as a playmaker. And everyone's benefiting
from it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, everybody's benefited from it for sure. And look, that
was the biggest thing. Like Rob Wright really is the
X doctor. He's the guy that can go get his
own shot when he wants. Like, look, if you didn't
get a chance to watch it, I was breaking down
for fans. He's going in the paint. Saw some boyd
up goals to score if he wants to. Hits Richie
in the corner with a brillion pass, hits a deep three,
and that's what gets the energy going. Like, you have
to respect rober Wright's ability to go to the basketball
when you collapse and when you fear that you leave
the three point shot open. And when you got a
guy like Richie Saunders. They hit seventy five threes last year,
it just makes Richie's case for hitting one hundred this
year a little bit easier.
Speaker 2: Shoot you with forty five points up in a first half,
you're most likely gonna be in the driver's seat. They
were fifty three percent from the field, thirty one from
three point line, and then sixty from the charity stripe.
Got to hit your free throws. Obviously, Richie started to
find his groove a little bit, five of nine from
the field, one for four from the three point line.
Speaker 3: Three point shooting. Still not the forte of this BOM's
basketball team.
Speaker 1: Yeah, not definitely not the forte. They've had a couple
of look the games before shots just in fall, Ben,
they've been a couple of bad three point shots, a
couple of rushlings by Tyler Moruss and Dawson Baker. And look,
I love what Dawson did in the first half and
his minutes righty, he played thirteen, had six points. Love
the stroke that he has. The development staff has worked
on that shot. But don't rush the shot, and when
the guy's in your face, don't pull a couple of
ball onces. So there's about look, I'm not gonna say
they would have made those, Ben, but there's about four
threes that they if they don't take those bad shots,
they're about five to twelve, and they're about probably, you know,
a little bit closer in the percentage range that they
want to. But we'll see what they do in the
second half.
Speaker 2: All right, looks like the second half is starting up
and the same starting lineup is out. Actually Kadima Boop
is out for CAMPU Ketta, So enjoy the rest of
the game.
Speaker 3: Roder will get a postgame recap front.
Speaker 1: I'll give you guys a post Henricotta just lets you
know over six NBA teams, over ten scouts are here
in attendant to watch a Debonsa. He's put on a
show the spot for the first half. We'll see what
he does in the second half.
Speaker 3: Been Yeah, pretty insane.
Speaker 2: How much talent is there in the room, in the
on the court, and in that stadium in A ton
of scouts have converged on the Delta Center, as noted
by Ronald the three Man Weaver. Yeah, thirty four scouts
from twenty one teams on hand for this number nine
BYU matchup versus the number twenty three Wisconsin Badgers at
the Delta Center this afternoon. Pretty impressive to say the least.
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